Rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension: Amount and payment
You may have a right to a rehabilitation subsidy or a disability pension from Kela if your earnings-related pension is small. Your earnings-related pension and any other pension you may receive affect the amount of the rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension.
A full rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension for someone who lives alone is EUR 775.70 per month.
If you are married or cohabiting or live in a registered partnership, the full amount is EUR 692.54 per month.
The full amount is only paid if you receive no earnings-related pensions or if their combined amount before taxes is EUR 65.62 per month or less. If you receive more in earnings-related pensions, the rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension from Kela will be smaller or will not be available at all.
If you live alone and you receive more than EUR 1,601.21 per month in earnings-related pensions, you cannot get rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension from Kela.
The corresponding limit for people who are married, cohabiting or in a registered partnership is EUR 1,434.88 per month.
If you are in paid employment, that too can affect your disability pension. There is a separate limit that applies to earnings from paid employment. For more information, see Working and studying when you are on a disability pension.
Your rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension is not paid if it would come to less than EUR 7.90 per month.
Rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension are taxable income.
You can use the formula below to calculate your rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension, or you can call our customer service for an estimate.
First, the amount entitling to a full disability pension is deducted from a person’s earnings-related pensions. Then, half of the resulting amount is deducted from the full disability pension. As used in the formula, ‘earnings-related pension’ refers to the amount of earnings-related pension before taxes.
Calculation formula for persons who live alone: EUR 775.70 – (earnings-related pensions – EUR 65.62) ÷ 2
For persons living together with another person: ÉUR 692.54 – (earnings-related pensions – EUR 65.62) ÷ 2
You cannot use these formulas to calculate your pension if you have lived or worked abroad.
Examples of pension income and taxation
When applying for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension, list all countries in which you have lived, worked or studied.
The time you have spent abroad may reduce your pension if you have lived in Finland less than 80% of the time between age 16 and start of pension.
Contact Kela’s Centre for International Affairs for details on how foreign residence affects your pension.
Kela adjusts national pensions annually in line with the National Pensions Index. This may increase or reduce your rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension.
The index adjustment is made automatically. You do not have to do anything.
Effect of other pensions and income
Nearly all earnings-related pensions and other pensions that are paid on a continuous basis affect the rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension. They are taken into account at their value before taxes. Any pensions or benefits you receive from abroad will usually also reduce the amount of rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension due to you.
The rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension can be reduced by
- earnings-related pensions, such as old-age, disability and survivors’ pensions.
- voluntary supplementary pensions and survivors’ pensions that are based on private- or public-sector employment, self-employment or the holding of a public office
- occupational accident pensions, survivors’ pensions, life annuities and assistance pensions payable on the basis of statutory worker’s compensation insurance
- rehabilitation allowance paid on the basis of statutory worker’s compensation insurance
- disability or survivors’ pension paid on the basis of statutory motor liability insurance
- compensation for loss of income paid on the basis of statutory motor liability insurance
- assistance pension paid under the Military Injuries Act
- basic amount of the farm closure compensation
- pensions and compensations from foreign sources.
Rehabilitation allowance and compensation for loss of income do not reduce the old-age pension until one year after the accident or traffic injury.
Paid employment may affect your disability pension. For more information, see Working and studying when you are on a disability pension.
Rehabilitation subsidy and disability pension are not reduced by, among others:
- capital income or assets
- spouse’s income or assets
- earnings-related pensions accrued from studying or child care
- a deferral bonus to an earnings-related pension
- one-off increases in disability pensions
- earnings-related pensions accrued from work you have done between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2016 while 63 years of age or older.
Payment date
Kela pays rehabilitation subsidies and disability pensions on the 7th day of each month.
If banks are closed on the scheduled payment date, the payments are made on the nearest preceding banking day.
Payment abroad
If you move abroad permanently, Kela can in certain situations continue to pay you rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension. List of countries in which you can receive a Kela pension.
If you live abroad, send a written notification of your foreign bank details (IBAN account number and BIC code) to Kela's Centre for International Affairs. Without the bank account details, the pension cannot be paid.